Warts - benign formations on the skin and mucous membranes that arise as a result of the activation of the human papillomavirus.
They do not look aesthetically pleasing and often cause complexes. A person wants to get rid of them but doesn't know how.
Should we remove the structure?
This depends on the size of the papillomas, their type and the age of the person. Most of the time, however, the answer is clearly positive, as warts are contagious and can be spread to others. Perhaps self-infection is also auto-inoculation.
First,, the infectivity of neoplasms manifests itself not only through direct contact with them, but also when using common household items, personal hygiene items or simply by touching places where an infected person has touched. For example a bus handrail.
Second,, the site of the wart may be in the area that is most likely to be injured - the neck, feet, armpits, and groin. These areas rub, press and touch with clothing more than others. Then it is fraught with malignancy, bleeding, and overgrowth.
Third,formations can increase in size and number, leading to aesthetic problems. This phenomenon can be called the conquest of the territory by a wart.
Important! Not always, but possibly the degeneration of a wart into melanoma, an incurable, aggressive skin cancer.
Serious misunderstandings about the risk of an operation
Treating and treating warts early is the best option. You save a lot of time, effort and money. Although 70% of warts can go away spontaneously after 2 years of existence, they can return to new places with the same success and beyond.
The fears of many when contacting the surgeon are linked to the fear of the operation, its complications, relapses and possible pain during the procedure. They are completely unfounded as modern methods provide very good pain relief and many do not require anesthesia at all.
There is still a popular belief that an additional touch of a wart with a surgeon's knife increases its growth. This is the deepest misconception - it is the surgical procedure that prevents the virus from spreading and prevents the wart from growing. Fortunately, there are enough methods for doing this.
Those patients can be called strange who are not afraid to use traditional methods from their own cultivation and refuse qualified help. The experience and qualifications of a doctor are of course crucial, but a good surgeon is not uncommon.
And one more help - do not rely on beauticians and run to them with warts. They just don't have adequate medical training.
Modern methods
There are newer or older removal methods. Each of them has its own advantages and disadvantages. In addition, the effect depends on the size of the wart, its location and the depth of growth.
All methods can be divided into three groups: hardware, surgical and chemical. The alternative treatment is more related to the method of physical (mechanical) impact.
When you go to the doctor, the doctor may, in his opinion, recommend the best option, but the patient makes the final choice.
Preliminary consultation is also required as not all of the methods you choose may be suitable as there are contraindications and limitations.
Laser treatment
The laser method can be described as universal. Today he is at the top of all methods. With the help of a laser, you can remove warts from the most difficult, sensitive and painful places. It is also beneficial in that it does not leave any scars. The beam is the safest and the least traumatic.
The efficiency is so high that one procedure is sufficient. The essence of the thermal effect on the wart burns with temperature. Healing is quick with no scars or complications.
Further laser plus points:
- the patient feels no pain;
- no anesthesia required;
- complete removal;
- fast - takes 1–2 minutes. Relapses are only possible in 20% of cases.
Burning leaves a fossa that heals in 2 weeks. The skin may temporarily lighten, which will go away on its own after 3 weeks.
Cauterization with liquid nitrogen
Cryodestruction is the freezing of a wart according to the low temperature method using liquid nitrogen. Duration - 30 seconds. Freezing leads to death of the growth tissue. When frozen, the papilloma thickens and turns white. After a minute it will turn red and swell up.
A bubble of gray liquid appears at home. In a week it will break through on its own and a crust will form. The crust heals and falls off in 2 weeks.
A pink spot remains, the color of which gradually matches the skin. The formation disappears within 2 weeks, and a pink spot appears in the place of removal, which gradually disappears.
Advantages:
- no pain, no scars and no anesthesia required;
- no infection or bleeding.
The only downside is that there is no way to control the depth of the impact.
The impact on the soles of the feet takes about 1 minute. The process can be repeated up to 5 times on the sole. Minus - long wound healing.
Electrocoagulation
Electrocoagulation for warts uses high frequency currents. It is concentrated in a loop that cuts off the wart. The moxibustion temperature is around 80 degrees.
No bleeding due to simultaneous coagulation of the blood vessels. Local anesthesia is required. A big plus of the method is that it prevents the virus from spreading further. In addition, the method is quite budgetary and effective.
The surrounding tissue should be covered and the skin disinfected beforehand. There is also a crust step. It will go away within a week. After that, an almost imperceptible, transparent scar remains, but more often a light spot. There are no relapses!
Application of radio wave therapy
The method is considered to be no less effective than electric current. Moxibustion is carried out with special devices. A doctor will help you choose the right device. This is a radio wave generator, the high-frequency electric waves of which do not touch the wart, but cut it off completely.
The essence of the action is that the cells of the wart contain fluid that expands with radio waves, the wart swells and bursts. The work is carried out with a special tip that resembles a ballpoint pen.
There are no scars or infections. The only disadvantage is the painfulness of the procedure, for this reason the growth is lubricated in advance with an anesthetic. Healthy cells are not damaged. The moxibustion takes about 20 minutes.
advice! At the crust stage, it cannot be wetted and peeled off! She'll go away in a week.
Surgical removal
Surgical removal is a traditional, classic method that is performed with a scalpel. Not used often now. The method is traumatic and leads to relapses, scars.
There is a risk of damage to neighboring tissues, the possibility of infection. But it is irreplaceable when the wart is large. After the incision has been made, the wart is scraped off under local anesthesia with a special spoon. The seams are cosmetic, they are removed after a week. The scar remains about 3 mm and fades over time.
Chemical moxibustion
The formation is acted upon with an acid or an alkali. Wash off after a while. There are usually at least 6 methods to achieve the effect. There is a burning sensation or tingling sensation during this time. The wart dries up and falls off.
Disadvantages:
- There is a risk that the virus will spread further and that an infection cannot be ruled out.
- healthy tissue is often damaged;
- Scars are possible, the healing takes about 10 days.
The method is only used if other methods are not possible.
Advantages and disadvantages of different methods, which one is better
Each removal method has its advantages and disadvantages. There are no ideal options. Today the most popular methods are: laser therapy, cryotherapy, electrocautery, radio waves, a surgical scalpel - in decreasing order of frequency of use. The cost of the first three methods is actually in the same price range.
The laser is the first to guide: there are no inaccessible places for it, it is safe, quick and painless. Cryodestruction is considered to be the second most effective, but with it there is no way to control the depth of exposure, which makes relapses possible.
And one more conclusion: the laser can only remove 1 small formation in one session.
Cryotherapy is applicable to papillomatosis when up to 40 growths can be removed in one procedure. But here the doctor's experience is of great importance for the quality.
How do the location and type of growth affect the choice of technology?
There are 4 types of warts:
- vulgar- they often grow in the form of small nodules on the fingers and toes, on the back of the hand;
- flat- typical for young people, they have the shape of protruding spots; this includes the plantar (thorns);
- thread-like (acrochords)- elastic thin outgrowths on the leg, appear on the face (eyelids, lips) and neck;
- genital warts - often localized on the mucous membrane of the genitals; resemble cauliflower in appearance.
These 4 types are of viral origin and belong to real warts.
But there are also senile keratomas which are caused by functional disorders of the skin. They do not require treatment, just observation. Cryotherapy can be used if desired.
The doctor recommends a method of removalbut ultimately the patient chooses. How the choice of method depends on the type of wart: Small formations can be safely removed with aradio wave meter or liquid nitrogen.
Radio knifecan be used on the face and neck, feet and palms as well as the groin area. It is not used for papillomas on the eyelids. You can use a laser or liquid nitrogen.
Freezingis also used on arms and feet (on the soles) and on papillomas on the neck. The cryogenic method can be called universal. It is save.
Laser- Removes all warts on all parts of the body, including under the nail.
The surgical methodis used for large growths on the oral mucosa.
Electrocoagulationis recommended for flat and vulgar warts. Can even be applied to the face. The effect is negligible with large formations. The electric knife is also not used for plantar warts as they usually have deep roots and are very dense.
Important! It is advisable to only remove plantar growth in a hospital.
The chemical method gives good results on flat and pointed plantar lesions. In comparison, physical methods are ineffective.
What method of removing formations do doctors recommend?
The customer naturally chooses according to his abilities. To make the right decision, however, he must be guided by the doctor's opinion. Specialists prefer complex (combined) treatment for warts, in which the main place is removal.
In addition, treatment includes the oral administration of drugs with antiviral activity. Although the HPV (human papillomavirus) virus is not 100% cured and its activation depends in many ways on the state of immunity, it can be slowed down, "euthanized" and remission prolonged.
In addition to antiviral drugs, immunomodulators are used for this purpose. This is first and foremost a group of interferons.
Doctors treat folk methods without much enthusiasm, since the treatment is not carried out by doctors and is unsafe. It is fraught with damage to surrounding tissues, infection, and inflammation. Under no circumstances should children under the age of 5 remove warts.